For years two experienced Gauteng detectives operated with alleged impunity, apparently coercing confessions through beatings and mock executions. The rogue Springs detectives are believed to have styled themselves on the lead actors in the blockbuster movie Bad Boys.But their actions appear to have caught up with them. One of the detectives has been arrested, along with two police informants, in connection with the killing of three murder suspects. The second detective is on the run, along with a third informant.Late on Monday afternoon a police informant tipped off crime intelligence agents about the bodies of three murder suspects hidden in a field near the West Rand mining town of Carletonville. Two of the men had allegedly been unlawfully shot and killed. The third was allegedly beaten to death.A fourth suspect, who was also shot, survived by pretending to be dead. He flagged down a passing motorist after the officers had left.That was in April.With senior Gauteng police managers yesterday mum about the investigation, citing the sensitivity of the case, it is not known why the informant told police about the killings only three weeks after they occurred.Gauteng police commissioner Lieutenant-General Lesetja Mothiba yesterday announced the arrest of one of the detectives and two of his informants, who were allegedly involved in the killings."An informant, who is in protective custody, blew the whistle on the killings. He was one of three informants who accompanied the policemen in their tracing of the four suspects and who were part of the tragic events ."It is alleged the policemen used 'unorthodox' methods of interrogation" on one of the suspects,'' Mothiba said. They took the unconscious suspect to hospital, where he was declared dead.Mothiba said the officers took the body with them and went looking for the other suspects, whom they arrested. "It is alleged the three suspects were shot by the policemen and hidden in a field."A detective who worked with the policemen said he was not surprised by the arrest of one of them."What we are surprised about is that it took so long. They're known for their use of excessive force."He said the men were members of the former Trio Crimes Task Team, which tracked down murder, robbery and hijack suspects."They are specifically trained to help other detectives to trace and arrest suspects difficult to find."It's often difficult to find suspects, especially when you only find one and the person's accomplices and weapons are missing."Information had to be obtained "but definitely not like this. As detectives you are taught how to get information without jeopardising a case." The officer said his colleagues were known for their heavy-handed tactics: "There are reports of how they would shoot people they allegedly allowed to 'escape'."They liked to think of themselves as the characters in the Bad Boys movies, doing whatever they needed to solve a case."Cases in which the detectives were involved had been thrown out of court because of their alleged treatment of suspects, he said."There's a right way to do things, but they were operating in their own way, under the radar. There are cases that should have been brought against them but for unknown reasons haven't, cases in which there were definite violations of people's rights."The Gauteng head of detectives, Major-General Vincent Leshabane, declined to name the murdered men or the reason for their deaths, other than to say the killings happened during "interrogations"."When the bodies were found you could see they had been hidden. We know the constables left their station to go find the suspects. We know that when they came back to the police station, they didn't come back with the suspects. Now we want to know why."Autopsies would be conducted this week. "A special team is hunting down the [second] detective and his informant, who, like their accomplices, will be charged with murder and attempted murder."Police spokesman Lieutenant-General Solomon Makgale appealed to possible victims of the policemen to call 08600 10111...